I direct the class as a discussion group, a community of learners, so students are expected to prepare the poems before coming to class, including bringing questions to stimulate interchange among students. Always bring your texts to class: we'll refer to them all the time. Class discussion counts as part of class grade. Students are expected to attend and contribute to all classes; you'll be permitted two unexcused absences during a semester.

Requirements: You'll write two 6-7 page papers comparing and contrasting two poems by the above authors (NOT discussed in class), and one short final take-home synthesizing paper. Each paper will count 25% of your grade. Students will be allowed one extension if they give at least 48 hours advance notice. Unexcused late papers will be penalized. I will not accept any papers after the last day of class.

For those of you steeped in theory, you can substitute one longer 12-15 page paper for the shorter ones: for such an ambitious project, I will want to see a thesis paragraph well in advance of the due date.

Forum: Additionally, every Monday by Noon students will write a paragraph on our class forum, responding to a question that will create a dialogue and help structure thinking about poems under discussion. Students should respond to one another, argue, quote freely from texts; if you respond early you might check the forums to see if you want to supplement your earlier responses. The responses will not be graded individually, but collectively will be worth 25% of your grade. If you miss more than one forum response, your grade will suffer. If your early responses don't respond sufficiently with specificity to the text, I will probably email you with advice or ask you to come in for conference so I can help. Late responses, because the work will have been discussed in class, cannot be counted.

Make sure you log off the thread when you're finished so someone else can enter the dialogue.

This syllabus is a course plan, but inevitably, as issues are raised in class, and as time grows short, assignments will change. If you miss class discussion, check with other class members about possible changes.